After lunch, Xu Damao walked to the gate of the courtyard and watched several old men playing chess.

These old men, though they may not be well-fed and usually seem listless, become like soldiers on a battlefield once a game starts. They're fiercely competitive, and these men in their fifties and sixties argue like children.

"Come on, let Da Mao play. I'll practice against a young guy today." After a game, a neighbor insisted that Xu Da Mao go up and play chess.

Although Xu Damao was someone's son-in-law, he came back to this place more frequently than Wang Shusheng, at least once a week. Wang Shusheng, on the other hand, was sometimes out on assignment and might not be able to come back for a whole week. So, the more often Xu Damao came, the more familiar he became with these old men.

"Alright, I, this terrible chess player, will have a go at your game." Xu Damao didn't refuse; playing chess with these people was quite fun.

Xu Damao has some basic knowledge of Chinese chess. Back in his rural hometown, there weren't many entertainment options in the evenings, so he would play chess and cards online. He knows a little about both Chinese chess and Go, but he's not an expert.

So, the old man and the young man started playing a game, and a crowd of people gathered around them.

The old man was experienced and his chess skills were superior to Xu Damao's; however, Xu Damao had seen and learned many new moves in later generations, and when he used them, he seemed to win with unexpected moves, making the two appear evenly matched.

The onlookers were all neighbors, and at this point, they disregarded the usual silence and began to help.

Xu Damao originally planned to spend the afternoon here and then have another meal at his mother-in-law's house in the evening, but the uninvited guest shattered Xu Damao's fantasy.

"Da Mao, Da Mao, I've been looking for you everywhere." Xu Da Mao was thinking about his next move when someone patted him hard on the back.

"Jiecheng, what brings you here? What's up?" Xu Damao turned around and saw that it was Yan Jiecheng who had patted him. The guy was covered in sweat, as if he had just taken a shower.

"Da Mao, my dad went out in the middle of the night and hasn't come back yet. Could you help me out?" Yan Jiecheng mumbled, seeing a crowd gathered around him.

"When I went out this morning, I saw an old man at your house. Why didn't he help?" Xu Damao asked, puzzled.

Such a trivial matter shouldn't warrant being imprisoned for so long. Besides, Yi Zhonghai has managed to stay in the compound for so long; he's not without real ability, and he can usually handle minor tasks involving dealing with officials.

“The old man went to the police station, but they said it wasn’t their case; it was a case handled directly by the branch bureau’s brigade, and they couldn’t do anything about it. We went to the branch bureau together, but we couldn’t even get through the gate.” Seeing that Xu Damao was sitting still, Yan Jiecheng had no choice but to reveal some of the truth.

"Da Mao, you absolutely have to help with my dad's situation. He's usually a bit stingy, but our whole family depends on him." Yan Jiecheng became more and more emotional as he spoke, almost to the point of tears.

Xu Damao understood this situation. Anyone facing the helplessness of having a loved one detained by law enforcement agencies, and being powerless to do anything about it, experiences that is the strongest feeling in ordinary people.

“I’ll go back with you and we can think of a solution together. But, Jiecheng, you know I’ve been in Tongzhou for the past few years and don’t know many people here, so don’t get your hopes up too high.”

In a society where personal relationships are paramount, Xu Damao, as a neighbor, felt obligated to help others in need. Of course, Xu Damao also wanted to know what had happened last night, otherwise he'd be terrified of going out in the future.

"Minzhi, let's go back first. Uncle San has run into some trouble, let's go back and help him out." Xu Damao called to his wife and they got into the car to go back to Hongxing Courtyard.

Yan Jiecheng followed slowly behind on a woman's bicycle. It turned out that Yan Fugui had ridden his own bicycle to the black market the previous night and was subsequently arrested along with his entire gang. To find Xu Damao, Yan Jiecheng had to borrow a bicycle from He Yushui, a high school freshman.

"Da Mao, you're finally back! Your third uncle is counting on you." As soon as Xu Da Mao arrived home, he was stopped by his third aunt.

“Auntie, I will definitely help if I can. But I also told Jie Cheng that my own abilities are limited. I have been in Tongzhou for the past few years and don’t know many people here. So, I will discuss it with Uncle and Uncle later to see what the best solution is.”

Seeing his aunt looking at him with teary eyes, Xu Damao could only offer words of comfort.

Next, Xu Damao finally learned the gist of the matter from Yi Zhonghai. In the morning, after being summoned, Yi Zhonghai went to the street office and the police station to inquire about the situation.

He was quite familiar with that area, and the police station usually didn't want to handle such minor matters as buying things on the black market, so Yi Zhonghai had bailed people out before.

However, this time, both the neighborhood committee and the police station said they didn't organize last night's operation. After some inquiries, it turned out that the branch office's action team directly commanded the operation and didn't communicate with the police station at all.

Yi Zhonghai could bail someone out at the branch bureau, but he was at a loss when it came to the branch bureau itself. Of course, he also begged his acquaintances at the police station to communicate with the branch bureau to see if they could get the person released. But that involved a layer of connections, and the police station was simply unwilling to use that favor.

Yi Zhonghai contacted many acquaintances, but as soon as they heard it was a branch office action team, they were unwilling to get involved. It turned out that the team leader was a newcomer from the city bureau, from a well-off family, who came here hoping to achieve something. So, upon taking office, he immediately dismantled the black market that everyone tacitly acknowledged.

After running into obstacles everywhere, Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to return to the courtyard house. What he had originally intended to keep secret was now known throughout the entire courtyard, so Yi Zhonghai had to ask everyone to brainstorm and see if any of them had any relatives, friends, or acquaintances in the household.

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